Sen. Farnsworth votes for Senate Agriculture budget bill, including $100 million for rural broadband

ST. PAUL – On Thursday Senator Rob Farnsworth (R- Hibbing) voted to pass the Agriculture budget bill. Though this legislation doesn’t quite sufficiently fund some critical programs, it provides significant benefit to the state’s agriculture industry and to the needs of rural broadband.  

“In today’s economy, everyone needs the internet, whether its for learning, working, or farming. I voted for this bill because our district could really benefit from broadband support to keep the Northland growing and thriving,” Sen. Farnsworth said. “Agriculture is an important part of our state’s economy, and this bill will do a lot of good for the rural communities in our state.” 

Farnsworth highlighted one disappointment in the bill which removes $450,000 in funding for cultivated wild rice breeding. “Wild Rice is our state grain and the symbol of our state indigenous heritage. I’m disappointed this bill removes this funding to develop a more resilient grain that can provide for generations.”  

Notable provisions in the bill are: 

  • $100 million for broadband expansion to connect all Minnesotans to the modern economy.  
  • $1.5 million per fiscal year (FY) increase, in this biennium only, for grants that enable retail petroleum dispensers, fuel storage tanks, and other equipment to dispense higher blends of biofuels. 
  • $1.25 million per FY increase for grants to facilitate the start-up, modernization, or expansion of meat, poultry, egg, and milk processing facilities. This item is funded in this biennium only. 
  • $100,000 for grants or other forms of technical assistance to meat and poultry processors with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. This funding will reimburse the cost of attending courses or training that support developing sanitation standard operating procedures, hazard analysis and critical control points plans, or business plans.  
  • $9.8 million per year, including base funds, to AGREETT for continued agriculture research and education. 
  • $5.5 million for Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Relief Initiative (DAIRI) grants to dairy farmers who enroll in coverage under a federal dairy risk protection program and produce no more than 25 million pounds of milk in 2022.